Produced by Charles Keller
BABY MINE
By Margaret Mayo
To my Helper and Husband
CHAPTER I
Even in college Alfred Hardy was a young man of fixed ideas and highideals and proud of it.
His friend, Jimmy Jinks, had few ideas and no ideals, and was glad ofit, and before half of their first college term had passed, Jimmyhad ridded himself of all such worries as making up his own mind ordirecting his own morals. Alfred did all these things so much better,argued Jimmy, furthermore, Alfred LIKED to do them--Jimmy owed it to hisfriend to give him that pleasure.
The fact that Jimmy was several years Alfred's senior and twice hissize, in no way altered his opinion of Alfred's judgment, and throughtheir entire college course they agreed as one man in all theirdiscussions--or rather--in all Alfred's discussions.
But it was not until the close of their senior year that Alfred favouredJimmy with his views on matrimony.
Sitting alone in a secluded corner of the campus waiting for Alfred tosolve a problem in higher mathematics, Jimmy now recalled fragments ofAlfred's last conversation.
"No twelve dollar shoes and forty dollar hats for MY wife," his youngfriend had raged and he condemned to Jimmy the wicked extravagance ofhis own younger sisters. "The woman who gets me must be a home-maker.I'll take her to the theatre occasionally, and now and then we'll have afew friends in for the evening; but the fireside must be her magnet, andI'll be right by her side each night with my books and my day's worries.She shall be taken into my confidence completely; and I'll take goodcare to let her know, before I marry her, just what I expect in return."
"Alfred certainly has the right idea about marriage," mused Jimmy, asthe toe of his boot shoved the gravel up and down the path. "There'sjust one impractical feature about it." He was conscious of a slightfeeling of heresy when he admitted even ONE flaw in his friend's schemeof things. "Where is Alfred to find such a wife?"
Jimmy ran through the list of unattached girls to whom Alfred had thusfar presented him. It was no doubt due to his lack of imagination, buttry as he would, he could not see any one of these girls sitting by thefireside listening to Alfred's "worries" for four or five nights eachweek. He recalled all the married women whom he had been obliged,through no fault of his own, to observe.
True, all of them did not boast twelve dollar shoes or forty dollarhats--for the very simple reason that the incomes or the tempers oftheir husbands did not permit of it. In any case, Jimmy did not rememberhaving seen them spend many evenings by the fireside. Where then wasAlfred to find the exceptional creature who was to help "systematise hislife"? Jimmy was not above hoping that Alfred's search might be a longone. He was content for his friend to go jogging along by his side,theorising about marriage and taking no chances with facts. Having cometo this conclusion, he began to feel uneasy at Alfred's non-appearance.Alfred had promised to meet him on this spot at four-thirty, and Alfredhad decided ideas about punctuality. It was now five-thirty. Ought Jimmyto look for him, or would he be wiser to remain comfortably seated andto try to digest another of his friend's theories?
While Jimmy was trying to decide this vexed question, his ear caught thesound of a girlish titter. Turning in embarrassment toward a secludedpath just behind him, whom did he see coming toward him but Alfred, withwhat appeared to be a bunch of daffodils; but as Alfred drew nearer,Jimmy began to perceive at his elbow a large flower-trimmed hat,and--"horrors!"--beneath it, with a great deal of filmy white and yellowfloating from it, was a small pink and white face.
Barely had Jimmy reversed himself and rearranged his round, astonishedfeatures, when Alfred, beaming and buoyant, brought the bundle of fluffto a full stop before him.
"Sorry to be late, old chap," said Alfred. "I have brought my excusewith me. I want you to know Miss Merton." Then turning to the smallcreature, whose head peeped just above his elbow, Alfred explainedto her graciously that Jimmy Jinks was his very best friend, presentcompany excepted, of course, and added that she and Jimmy would no doubt"see a great deal of each other in the future."
In his embarrassment, Jimmy's eyes went straight to the young lady'sshoes. It was possible that there might be more expensive shoes in thisworld, but Jimmy had certainly never seen daintier.
"I hope we didn't disturb you," a small voice was chirping; and innocentand conventional as the remark surely was, Jimmy was certain of anundercurrent of mischief in it. He glanced up to protest, but twobaby-blue eyes fixed upon him in apparent wonderment, made him certainthat anything he could say would seem rude or ridiculous; so, as usualwhen in a plight, he looked to Alfred for the answer.
Slapping Jimmy upon the shoulder in a condescending spirit, Alfredsuggested that they all sit down and have a chat.
"Oh, how nice," chirped the small person.
Jimmy felt an irresistible desire to run, but the picture of himself,in his very stout person, streaking across the campus to the giggleddelight of Miss Fluff, soon brought him submissively to the seat,where he sat twiddling his straw hat between his fingers, and glancinguncertainly at Alfred, who was thoughtful enough to sit next him.
"Goodness, one could almost dance out here, couldn't one?" said thesmall person, named Zoie, as her eyes roved over the bit of level greenbefore them.
"Would you like to try?" asked Alfred, apparently agreeable to her everycaprice.
"I'd love it!" cried Zoie. "Come along." She sprang up and held out herhands to him.
"I'm going to be unselfish," answered Alfred, "and let Jimmy have thatfun."
By this time, Jimmy had been seized with an intuitive feeling that hisfriend was in immediate danger.
"Was this the young woman who was to sit opposite the fireside fivenights a week and systematise Alfred's life?"
Jimmy stared at the intruder blankly. For answer, two small hands werethrust out toward him and an impatient little voice was commanding himto "Come, dance." He heard Alfred's laughter. He had no intention ofaccommodating the small person in this or any other matter, yet, beforehe realised quite how it had happened, he was two-stepping up and downthe grass to her piping little voice; nor did she release him until theperspiration came rolling from his forehead; and, horror of horrors, hisone-time friend, Alfred, seemed to find this amusing, and laughed louderand louder when Jimmy sank by his side exhausted.
When Jimmy was again able to think consecutively, he concluded thatconsiderable conversation must have taken place between Alfred andthe small one, while he was recovering his breath and re-adjusting hiswilted neckwear. He was now thrown into a fresh panic by an exclamationfrom the excitable Zoie.
"You must both meet my friend, Aggie Darling," she was saying. "I ambringing her with me to the hop to-night. She is not at all like me.You will like her dreadfully." She smiled at Jimmy as though she wereconferring a great favour upon him.
"Like her dreadfully," commented Jimmy to himself. "It was just the kindof expression one might expect from a mind in such disorder as hers.'Systematise Alfred's life,' indeed!"
There was more nonsensical chatter, or so it seemed to Jimmy, then Zoieand Alfred rose to go, and Jimmy was told by both of them that he was toput in an appearance at the Fraternity "hop" that night.
"I'll see you at dinner," called Alfred gaily over his shoulder andJimmy was left to grapple with his first disappointment at his friend'slack of discrimination.
"It's her fault," concluded Jimmy, as he lifted himself heavily offthe bench and started down the campus, resolved to console himself withfood.
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